An aircraft fires flares during cloud-seeding trial, in New Delhi, on October 28, 2025
| Photo Credit: PTI
A cloud-seeding trial scheduled for Wednesday (October 29, 2025) in the Capital has been put on hold due to insufficient moisture in the clouds, sources in the Delhi government told The Hindu.
A statement released by the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur on Wednesday (October 29) also confirmed the same and stated that the the process is highly dependent on the right atmospheric conditions.
The rainfall could not be triggered as moisture levels were around 15 to 20%. However, the trial delivered valuable insights, IIT Kanpur said. “Monitoring stations set up across Delhi captured real-time changes in particulate matter and moisture levels. The data shows a measurable reduction of 6 to 10% in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, indicating that even under limited moisture conditions, cloud seeding can contribute to improved air quality,” it said.
On Tuesday (October 28), the Delhi government conducted two cloud-seeding trials in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur in parts of Delhi, including Burari, north Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, and Badli. However, there was no precipitation in the Capital city. Minimal rainfall was recorded in Noida and Greater Noida following the trials.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Wednesday (October 29) said the trials were successful and slammed the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saying they are “jealous” of the success of the BJP-led government. This came after the AAP questioned the BJP-led government’s recent exercise, saying no rainfall was recorded despite claims of artificial rain and raising doubts over the feasibility of such experiments in the Capital.
After Tuesdays’s (October 28) trials, the government in its report said that the cloud-seeding trials helped in reduction of particulate matter at locations where the exercise was carried out even as conditions were not ideal for it.
With PTI inputs
Published – October 29, 2025 05:02 pm IST
